February 4, 2026
Steil Unveils “MEGA Act,” a Sweeping Federal Push for Voter ID, Paper Ballots, and Tighter Election Rules
The MEGA Act would apply photo ID starting with federal elections in 2027, require voter-verifiable paper ballots, and expand voter-roll verification tools
Published February 2, 2026

This week, Rep. Bryan Steil proposed a federal election law requiring photo voter ID, mandate paper ballots, and preserving election records.

Steil’s accouncement tracks with a newly introduced package in Congress, the Make Elections Great Again Act, which Steil introduced at the end of January as chairman of the House Administration Committee. 

The bill, H.R. 7300, is an attempt to set “baseline requirements” for how states run federal elections. In Steil’s announcement, he said the bill is an election integrity package built around “commonsense voter ID requirements, clean voter rolls, and citizenship verification,” stating those changes would boost public confidence. 

The bill was introduced in the House on Friday, and referred to multiple committees, signaling the proposal touches everything from election administration to federal oversight and enforcement. (RELATED: Milwaukee Begins Towing Reckless Drivers Under Expanded State Law)

What does this bill do for elections? 

  • National photo ID requirement for voting in federal elections. The bill would apply starting with federal elections held in 2027. 
  • Paper ballots and record preservation. The legislation amends federal election standards to require voter-verifiable paper ballots and those paper ballots constitute the official record for recounts or audits. 
  • The text includes limits on “ballot harvesting” style collections and creates additional paperwork and recordkeeping requirements for returning someone else’s ballot under limited circumstances. 
  • Restrictions on certain voting systems. One section would prohibit states from using ranked-choice voting systems in general elections for federal office. 
  • Voter roll and citizenship verification. The bill builds in more aggressive voter list maintenance requirements and references use of the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE system database as a verification tool. 

The changes respond to long-running public distrust in elections and concerns about noncitizen voting, voter roll accuracy, and mail-in ballot security. Steil’s press release displays the package as a way to improve “voter confidence” and make elections “easy to vote, but hard to cheat.” 

The proposal arrives ahead of the 2026 midterm cycle and mirrors priorities supported by Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, including proof-of-citizenship debates, nationwide voter ID standards, and scaling back mail-in voting. (RELATED: JD Vance Exposes the Wage Gap Fueling America’s Undocumented Labor Crisis)